Emden, 11th June 2006
Grand Awards Gala at the 17th Emden – Aurich – Norderney International Film Festival

Guest star Maximilian Schell receives Award of Honour

Adrian Shergold winner of the Bernhard Wicki Preis

No less than six awards were presented at the Gala awards party in Emden’s Neues Theater. The Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Christian Wulff and Emden’s Mayor Alwin Brinkmann opened the Awards Ceremony in front of a packed house and spoke with enthusiasm about the commitment displayed by the broad range of films at Lower Saxony’s largest film festival. This view was shared by the film fans visiting the festival who ensured capacity audiences at participating cinemas – in spite of the World Cup – and who carefully selected their favourites from the 102 films entered in the festival.

Bernhard Wicki Preis
Fifteen films from Great Britain, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Ireland and Switzerland were nominated for this audience award which, for the first time, was endowed with prize money totalling 15,000 Euro.

Award ceremony hosts:
Klaus Swieter (Ostfriesische Volksbank)
Remmer Edzards (Stadtwerke Emden)
Thomas Ehrlich (Score)
Herbert Visser (Staatsbad Norderney)
Award presented by: Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss

1st prize (10,000 Euro + prize statuette of a film wave, nickel silver on a sandstone base)
Pierrepoint, Dir.: Adrian Shergold
2nd prize (3,000 Euro)
Verlengd Weekend, Dir.: Hans Herbots
3rd prize (2,000 Euro)
Mrs. Henderson Presents, Dir.: Stephen Frears

DGB Trade Union Award
The DGB Trade Union Award was presented for the ninth time to a film with particular social commitment. The five films participating in the competition for this award with its 5,000 Euro prize money ranged from humorous documentaries to gripping hostage dramas. The DGB Trade Union Award was presented along with “The Senses”, a prize statuette designed and crafted by Joern Schlund from Muenster.

Award ceremony hosts:
Tina Kolbeck (DGB PR Nds.-Bremen-S-A)
Peter Strüber (Transnet)
Presented by: Satyan Ramesh

The winner is:
Verlengd Weekend, Dir.: Hans Herbots

GFP – Promotion Award
On the initiative of the Prime Minster of Lower Saxony the GFP German Film Productions Media Fund promotes the first and second works of young film makers. Five films were entered in the competition for the award endowed with 5,000 Euro prize money.

Award ceremony hosts:
Katja Grünthal (GFP)
Bettina Rahmann (GFP)
Award presented by: Lower Saxony Prime Minister Christian Wulff

The winner is:
Mondscheinkinder, Dir.: Manuela Stacke

East Fresian Short Film Award
Every year since 1997 the Festival has made its Short Film Award, with prize money of 4,000 Euro. The winner of the Short Film Competition also receives the “Ottifant Camera” based on cartoons by the comedian Otto Waalkes.

Award ceremony host:
Signe Foetzki (Ostfriesische Landschaftliche Brandkasse)
Award presented by: Thomas Heinze

1st prize (2,500 Euro + Ottifant Camera)
Chinese Take away, Dir.: Felix Binder
2nd prize (1,000 Euro)
Chicxulub, Dir.: Malona P. Voigt
3rd prize (500 Euro)
Romance, Dir.: Douglas Boswell

Special award: a writing desk by the sea
This special prize, probably the most unusual made by a German film festival, was once again awarded at the Festival. The Award consists of a two-week “short scholarship” in a first class hotel on the island of Norderney.

Award ceremony host: Jens Brune (Hotel Haus am Meer)
Award presented by: Herbert Visser (Staatsbad Norderney)

The winner is:
Hilde van Mieghem

Emden Harbour Industry Honorary Award
This year the Emden Harbour Industry Honorary Award was made to the world-famous star Maximilian Schell. The newly created figurehead statuette was presented by Dr. Jürgen Hinnendahl and Member of Parliament Christian Wulff. The Honorary Award will in future be awarded annually to a special guest of the Festival.

Volkswagen Screenplay Award
The International Film Festival also hosted the presentation of the Volkswagen Screenplay Award on 8th June 2006. 121 screenplays by 138 authors competed for the award endowed with 12,000 Euro prize money. From this pool of competitors the jury, nominated by the Adolf Grimme Institute, selected the following prize winners:

1st prize (10,000 Euro)
“Beautiful Bitch” by Martin Theo Krieger, Berlin
2nd prize (1,000 Euro)
“Zeuge Nr. 106” (Witness No.106) by Kit Hopkins and Thilo Röscheisen, Munich
3rd prize (1,000 Euro)
“Nullpunkt” (Zero Point) by Andreas Udluft, Hamburg

Further information and the complete programme of the International Film Festival are available online at www.filmfest-emden.de.